


Empire State of Murder

by anna_maddie_xx



Category: Silent Witness (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 23:28:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29924481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anna_maddie_xx/pseuds/anna_maddie_xx
Summary: 6 months after the death of Thomas and Clarissa's departure, Jack and Nikki jet off to New York for Harry's wedding, hoping for a break from the Lyell. A break is far from what they receive.Wanting to help Harry's new wife, NYPD Detective Elena, on a case she's been following up on for years, they become involved in a very wealthy family, discovering disturbing secrets about them.And the tension between the two of them has reached a breaking point. Will they admit their feelings for one another, or will they carrying on hiding them forever?
Relationships: Harry Cunningham/Other(s), Nikki Alexander & Jack Hodgson, Nikki Alexander/Jack Hodgson
Kudos: 3





	Empire State of Murder

Being without Thomas was hard. Extremely hard.

The initial grief was devastating. Nikki could still remember the blank look Jack gave her when she told him, a look of complete refusal. Neither of them wanted it to be true. It felt like a bullet through the chest having such a dear friend ripped away from them so suddenly. Thomas was gone, and he wasn’t coming back.

Clarissa’s absence had taken an effect too. They both missed her a tremendous deal, the way she would be able to lighten the mood with a couple of words. But Jack and Nikki understood why she left, and so now it was just the two of them. However, the shared anguish, it had brought them closer than ever. 

Every tear that was spilt, every breakdown that occurred from sleepless nights, they'd been there for one another. No matter how late at night, or how little the cause of the upset was, Jack and Nikki vowed to be each other's rock. They'd promised not to repeat the aftermath of Mexico, with the missed phone calls and the awkward conversations. They were stronger when they were together.

Days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months. Things were getting better. Jack was visiting a therapist, talking about his troubles and understanding how to deal with things. Nikki’s nightmares were becoming less frequent, Thomas popping into her dreams as a pleasant figure instead of reliving the horrific scenes in the mortuary. They were becoming their old selves again.

Cases kept them busy, each as harrowing as the one before it. It was incredibly hard for Jack and Nikki not to get affected by each death that occured, but they decided that solving the case and trying to forget about it when it was over was best for the both of them. 

The most recent case had been wrapped up that day, and Nikki sat in her kitchen, a glass of white wine in her hand. Jack was standing across the counter from her, expertly chopping onions.

It was now a sort of tradition that after each case was solved, they would have dinner together. And so, Jack was cooking meatballs and pasta; he'd told her that his pasta sauce was five-star restaurant standard. To be fair to him, he was a much better cook than her, and so Nikki left it up to him to do most of it, only helping when necessary.

She watched him, now preparing the pasta sauce, whistling away to himself. Nikki couldn't stop her eyes from travelling up and down his body as he moved from one counter to another. He just looked so...good, as he did everyday. She'd always known how attractive Jack was; anyone with a sane mind noticed it. But recently, Nikki's feelings were more than that.

The closer they got, the more attracted to him she was. During the last couple of months, Nikki had tried to deny it, not knowing if Jack felt the same way. He may have done years ago, but she'd been stupidly blind from seeing what was right in front of her. Jack's attraction towards her had probably faded away, because she took too bloody long to realise that there might be something between them. 

So Nikki just caught herself staring at him every time he was near her, and let her stomach drop when he brushed her arm. But, she would rather put herself through the pain of secretly pining for him instead of potentially ruining their friendship by mistaken feelings.

Jack interrupted her thoughts, appearing beside her, holding a spoonful of his homemade sauce.

"Try this," he said. Nikki obeyed, leaning into him so he could put the spoon in her mouth. A grin grew upon Jack's face when Nikki's eyes widened. 

The sauce was indeed amazing, as Jack had promised, and Nikki could tell he was very pleased with himself. There was a glint in his eye as he put his elbow on the counter, gazing at her.

"Bloody hell, that is good," Nikki gasped.

Jack shrugged his shoulders, gently tapping her on the nose with the spoon. 

"Told you."

Nikki smiled as he moved back round to the hob, stirring the pot of sauce. 

"So tell me," Nikki said, a little flirtier than intended, "what's the secret ingredient?"

Her flirtiness was returned, Jack turning to raise an eyebrow at her.

"If I told you it wouldn't be a secret, would it?"

With a tilt of her head, Nikki chuckled. "I guess not."

Their eyes met for the briefest of seconds, Nikki looking down instantly, reaching for her wine glass to try and cover the redness that was starting to appear on her cheeks. She brought it to her lips, taking a sip, peering at Jack over the rim of her glass. He was still staring at her intently, muscled arms folded across his chest. Nikki's stomach filled with butterflies. Her mind wondered what it would feel like to wake up in those arms, what those arms would feel like wrapped around her torso. She had to take a deep breath to stop herself from getting carried away, knowing that her thoughts were becoming rather lustful. Jack was just her best friend, and she was his. She doubted that he had any feelings toward her at all.

A sudden ringing broke the silence that had trickled into the room. Both sets of eyes drifted towards the maker of the noise, Nikki's phone vibrating on the counter beside her. Nikki picked it up, wondering who could possibly want to talk to her. A familiar name was present on the screen, a name that Nikki hadn't seen for quite a while. She was pleasantly surprised, though his timing could have been a little better.

"It's Harry!" she informed Jack, who's eyes, like her, widened. 

The last time Nikki had seen Harry face to face was over 4 years ago, after the ordeal in Mexico. She'd wanted an escape from life, an escape from all of the shit that had happened to her. And so she stopped off in New York, to visit an old friend. Even though she'd turned up uninvited, Harry had been delighted to see her. They'd talked for hours and hours, about everything. Caught up on what they'd missed in each other's lives. It had been good.

After she returned home, there had been a phone call every half year, but Nikki hadn't received one in a while or even thought to ring him. So a wave of excitement overcame her as she answered the call, suddenly eager to know what he'd been up to.

"Hello stranger," she said with a smile.

There was a chuckle on the other line before Harry spoke.

"It's been quite a while, hasn't it? Sorry about that, my fault entirely. I've been so busy recently." 

"Don't worry about it," Nikki replied, walking out into the hallway, sitting down on the bottom stair, "The last few months have been rather hectic my end anyway."

She heard Harry hesitate, thinking carefully about what to say.

"Ah, I read about your boss. I'm so sorry, Nikki."

"Thank you." 

Nikki's heart sank at the mention of Thomas. She'd been coping well in recent weeks, but the thought of him still stung a little. A moment of awkwardness lingered between them, both unsure how to carry on the conversation.

"How's the Lyell coping?" Harry eventually said.

"It's just Jack and I now. Clarissa decided to leave before it happened. We're keeping busy with all the cases coming in, though."

"And how are you two?"

"We're ok. Things have been slowly getting back to normal recently which is good."

That was enough about her though. Nikki almost disliked talking about what she had been up to, preferring much more to listen to his life. Last time they'd spoken, Harry had been in a serious relationship. It took her a couple of seconds to remember his girlfriend's name, but eventually it came to her

"How's it going with you and… Elena?" she asked.

"Great. One of the reasons I'm calling actually. We're getting married this month."

Nikki's jaw dropped. Harry Cunningham getting married. Who would've thought it? She was so so happy for him, so happy that he'd finally found someone.

"Oh wow, congrats!" she cried, "That's amazing news!"

Nikki could picture his smile through the happiness in his voice, even though she couldn't see his face.

"Isn't it? Elena is dying to meet you and I'd love to see you, so I was wondering whether you'd like to come over for the wedding? If you're not too busy at work."

Did he even need to ask? The answer was obvious, of course she wanted to see one of her closest friends get married. And she wanted to meet the woman who was going to put up with him for years to come. Nikki had a picture of Elena in her head, a fiery, outspoken character, perfect for Harry. She was desperate to see if she was correct in her estimations. 

"I'd love to!" Nikki responded, "I'll have to sort a few arrangements at the Lyell and book a flight as soon as I can, but count me in."

"Great. I can't wait to see you."

They said their goodbyes, Nikki feeling excited about finally seeing him and his wife to be. She put her phone in her back pocket, heading back into the kitchen. Jack had served dinner, a bowl of meatballs and pasta sitting for her on the counter. He'd already tucked into his, as Nikki sat down beside him, the meal looking extremely inviting indeed. As she popped the first spoonful into her mouth, she turned to Jack, revealing the news.

"Harry's getting married. He's asked me to come to the wedding."

Jack knew a lot of the man who he'd replaced, even though he'd never actually met him. They'd briefly spoken on the phone before, but never in person. Still, his face lit up when Nikki told him.

"That's great!"

There was a moment of silence between them as they ate, Nikki beginning to ponder her thoughts. She was happy to go to New York on her own, but what if Jack came with her? They’d never been on a work unrelated holiday together before. It would be a nice break, away from England, sightseeing, socialising, eating good food. So she suggested it to him.

"You should come with me. We could both seriously do with a holiday."

"I haven't been invited,” Jack pointed out to her. True, Nikki thought, but that’s not going to matter.

"Harry's won’t mind. He'd probably love to meet you, and you'll get on great with him."

She watched Jack hesitate for a second, taking a drink from his beer.

"Sure, why not," he finally replied with a grin.

Nikki returned his smile, thrilled that she’d gotten him on board.


End file.
